The same old hospital
by Nerissa1243
Summary: COMPLETE Chuck is forced to come to the same hospital where he had witnessed Bart's death and Serena's drug intoxication, but this time it's  probably Blair who he has to be worried about. Or is there anyone else?
1. Silence

So, I decided to start a new story. I know I have 'A wild guess' to update, but I felt like I couldn't stop from writing this. This is gonna be a multi-chap involving Chair and some Nate. It's gonna be quite dark, but probably not as dark as you might think after reading this chapter.  
>Anyway, enjoy!<hr>Chuck was attending a board meeting regarding the opening of Charles Place. He knew the thing was very important and the way he acted could affect his whole future. Yet he couldn't bring himself to concentrate, his thoughts always slipping to the love of his life, Blair Waldorf. Three days ago all the newspapers cried out about a broken engagement in Monaco. Why would Blair call off her engagement? Why wouldn't she answer his calls? Why would she come back to NY? Why would Serena call him and ask to come for a dinner, telling him it was really important as Blair would be there too? All those questions wouldn't let him seriously think about business, and, on top of all, he felt unusually uneasy, worried and nervous. He couldn't really figure out why, but he had a strong feeling something was wrong. Right the moment some very-important-businessmen tried to get his attention his phone rang. It was obviously completely prohibited to interrupter a meeting for a phone call, yet Chuck casted a quick glance on the screen to check the caller's name. Nate. A wave of pure horror hit him as he started at the screen. Something did happen, otherwise Nate wouldn't be calling. He knew exactly how busy Chuck was. With a heavy heart Chuck quickly stood up, excusing himself, and pressed the "answer" button.  
>"Nathaniel?" he asked anxiously, making his way through the conference hall.<br>"Chuck.." a broken voice whispered, and then Chuck heard something that made his heart sink. He heard a sob.  
>"Nathaniel?" he cried in horror, refusing to imagine what drove his best friend into that state.<br>"Nate" he called out softly as the wheezing and sobbing on the other end continued.  
>"Nate, tell me what's wrong, please. You can tell me anything, Nate, please!" Chuck begged.<br>"Chuck.. It's" Nate tried to brace himself, but failed as Chuck heard another sob. And then the line went dead.  
>Chuck was scared to death, fear raising in him as nausea. He quickly reentered the hall.<br>"Sirs, I am very sorry, there is an emergency and I have to go" he blurted out, took his case and went away before anyone could object.  
>He was sprinting through the corridors of Bass Industries' building, trying hard to think of something to do when his phone beeped. This time it was a message from Nate. It said only two words but they made chuck's stomach revolt. It was an address he recognized immediately, the address of the hospital where his father had died. So someone was in the hospital. Someone, obviously very close close to Nate and probably familiar to Chuck. Before he could bring himself to thinking of people who might be hurt he heard the same beeping sound and saw a second text from Nate. It, just as the first one, contained two words. It said: "ward 001". The two words made Chuck shiver. Ward 001 belonged to the resuscitation department. It meant that someone was very hurt. As he reached the limo and rapidly got in, spitting the address, he started thinking of the people that could be there. People, who could affect Nate so much. His parents, Serena, possibly Vanessa or Jenny, and... Chuck could not bare naming Blair on the list. That was impossible, Blair could not be hurt, he kept thinking as he anxiously dialed her number. Her phone was dead. Chuck quickly blocked the sickening though from his mind, dialing Serena. The same. Lily. No response. Dan. No response. Eleanor, Cyrus, Rufus. Nothing. Then he realized he could just call the hospital and ask.<br>"Good morning, New York Medical Center, my name is Alison" a woman on the other end greeted him politely.  
>"Alison, could you tell me who is currently staying in ward 001, please?" Chuck asked, his heart racing as it probably had never raced before.<br>"I'm sorry, but that is personal information. Do you believe you might be close to the patient from ward 001?" the woman continued in her polite, yet somewhat indifferent tone.  
>"Yes, well, probably" Chuck breathed out, pressing a hand against his chest in an attempt to calm himself down.<br>"Than what is your name so I can check you on the list of the closest friends and family?" the woman sounded more friendly now, probably noticing Chuck's trembling voice and uneven breathing.  
>"Charles Bartholomew Bass" he answered immediately, taking a deep breath and closing his eyes.<br>"Let me see.." she muttered. "Oh, yes, you are.." she said finally.  
>"So?" he nearly cried.<br>"It's Blair Cornelia Waldorf" the woman said calmly. Blair. He felt blood freezing in his veins as horror hit him.  
>"Wha..What happened to her? How is she? Is she..?" his voice broke as he couldn't catch his breath, gasping for air.<br>"She got into a car accident. She is in a critical condition, but she is now taken care of and the doctors are doing everything to save her" the woman stated. "You can get further information from her doctor if you wish to"  
>"Thank you" he muttered, hanging up.<hr>He rushed through far too familiar hospital corridors, telling himself she would be fine. She was Blair Waldorf after all, she couldn't die in a car accident, she was too perfect for that. He needed her too much, she couldn't leave him like that. No, it was ridiculous and impossible. He repeated thar as a mantra, running as fast as he could. Finally he reached the ward door. In front of the door was a bench. He immediately spotted Lily there, hugging Nate with one arm and Eric with another, Rufus by their side on the floor. To their right Eleanor and Cyrus were sitting, discussing something in a whisper. Lily's eyes where red and so where Nate's and Eric's.  
>"What...what happened? How is she?" he asked in a tremulous voice, dreading to hear the answer.<br>"She's dead, dude" Nate said in a strange, agonized voice, looking up for a second.  
>The moment Chuck heard the words was the moment his world ended. There was nothing left in his world without her. Only emptiness and loneliness. Everything went dark before his eyes and he fell down unconscious.<hr>So, that's it! What do you think? Reviews would be highly appreciated!)  
>Love you all :* <div> 


	2. Hope

Hey, my adorable readers, subscribers and reviewers! Thank you so much!  
>Special thanks and a hug to my, so far only, reviewer <strong>LeftWriter224<strong>. You are amazing and I'm just sooo happy you liked the beginning of my story! Seriously want to know what you think of this new one :) Well, I'll try my best to separate the paragraphs, the thing is that I'm updating from my iPhone 'cause I'm not home now. (NY, btw :) and I'm really bad at the HTML etc. thing :(  
>Enjoy the piece!<hr>He woke up still on the floor and immediately saw Cyrus' concerned face. It took him several seconds to realize where he was and why. The truth hit him and as he tried to catch his breath again, Cyrus called his name. He could barely hear what he was saying, fog of numbness covering him as a wave. Suddenly, he heard her name and tried to concentrate.  
>"Charles, Charles, can you hear me?" Cyrus asked again and again, trying to get his attention.<br>"Blair.." Chuck whispered. "You said something about Blair.." he managed.  
>"Charles, Blair is alive. Do you understand it? Perfectly alive" Cyrus said seriously, hoping Chuck would het his message.<br>"But, Nate said...?" Chuck asked weakly, not yet letting himself to believe Cyrus, suspecting that he was lying just to ease Chuck's pain. He knew he wouldn't be able to live through the news for the second time.  
>"No, no, she's unconscious, but yet absolutely alive. Do you want to go and see her?" Cyrus suggested, noticing hesitation in Chuck's eyes.<br>"Yes" he breathed out, struggling to get up. Cyrus helped him to his feet and led towards the door.  
>"You want a private moment, don't you?" he asked, stepping back.<br>"Thank you" Chuck said quietly, opening the door. He started to really believe that Blair was fine.  
>He opened the door and stepped inside the ward. There she was, on a huge hospital bed, her pale porcelain skin covered with horrible dark bruises, red scars and slightly bleeding cuts. Her head was on a pile of pillows, her eyes shut closed, her mouth and nose covered with an oxygen mask. Her arms, where not damaged by the car crash, covered with needles. Several huge machines surrounded her, working loudly, supporting her life. One of them made a typical beeping noise, repeating her heart beats. It was not the steady sound you usually hear in movies. It was weak and unsteady, her pulse jumping from 20 to 40, her heart skipping several beats here and there. Her uneven breathing was also audible, her chest moving up and down heavily as she struggled to breathe.<br>For the first several seconds overwhelming happiness was all he could feel. There she was, his beautiful girl, alive. She breathed, her heart was beating and that was enough for Chuck. But then, when the first moment of relief had passed and he made a small step towards her bed he noticed how sick and vulnerable she looked. He froze for a second, closing his eyes and taking deep breaths to calm himself down and sooth the horrible nauseous pain somewhere in his chest. The place felt like his heart. He knew he didn't have a right to be the weak one, he knew he had to be strong for her. Yet it took him at least five minutes to brace himself and dare to look at her again. He rushed to the chair next to her bed, afraid he would lose his balance and fell down again. His head was spinning. As he took a seat he casted a third glance at her. This time he managed to watch her for longer then a second. He slowly moved forwards and grabbed her left hand gently. He was excepting to feel her usual soft and warm skin, yet her palm was cold and sweaty.  
>"Blair" he breathed out, tears forming in the corners of his eyes.<br>"Blair" he whispered, rubbing her hand lovingly and very gently in an attempt to warm her up.  
>"Blair" he repeated all over and over again, covering her arm and shoulder and neck and face with kisses, hard sobs coming from his chest. He was absorbed in his pain, in her pain, in their pain. He was so unaware of the outer world that he only noticed a nurse who had been trying to get his attention when she hit his shoulder quite painfully.<br>"Mr. Bass, I'm sorry to interrupt but we have some treatment to perform and it's impossible with you in the ward. You can come to see her again later" she said, gently leading Chuck out.  
>Once he was out he went straight to the nearest toilette, quickly skipping everyone in front of the door. He felt sick and broken and the last thing he wanted was their sympathetic words and meaningful looks. Luckily the toilette was empty and he rushed to the sink, reaching it right in time to throw up. The nausea went away as soon as his stomach was empty and he just sat there on his knees, sobbing, his face covered with both hands. What he hand just witnessed was more then shocking or heartbreaking. Seeing Blair hurt, damaged, in danger and in pain qnd not knowing how to help her was the hardest thing in his life. It was much, much worse than seeing his dead father. It turned him upside down, leaving a burning and aching hole in his chest. He could hardly breathe, sitting there, waiting for the pain to ease. At least she was there, alive, breathing. The fact that she was berating just as he was calmed him down somehow.<br>"Charles" he heard Cyrus' voice again. _Shit! Just don't make the 'i-am-sorry-for-you-boy' show, please. Spit it out and go away._ That was what he thought when he looked up unwillingly. Cyrus seemed to get the message.  
>"Just in case you want to join, her doctor is going to give us an update on her, they just got back several tests' results" Cyrus said quietly, giving Chuck a hand to help him up.<br>"Thank you" Chuck breathed out for the second time that day, making a mental note that Cyrus was actually tactful and caring.  
>"Charles, there is something I have to tell you before we leave this place" the older man said seriously, not letting Chuck's hand go.<br>"Yes?" he asked, nervous again. Could anything else be possibly wrong?  
>"Blair was not alone in the car today" he said. "Serena was with her" he stated.<br>"How is she?" Chuck asked immediately, and then he remembered Nate's sobs and the last words he had heard from him.  
>"No!" he gasped for air. "No, she couldn't have.." he was unable to finish the horrible sentence as his stomach knotted.<br>"They didn't manage to save her, the injuries were too bad" Cyrus whispered, hugging Chuck tightly, afraid he would fall down again.  
>The hug somehow helped Chuck. It felt nice and warm and reassuring. He swallowed, banning the thoughts from his mind. He would think about Serena later. Now he had to think about Blair.<br>Chuck and Cyrus exited the toilette silently, made their way to the doctor's office and joined Eleanor who was already talking to a middle-aged blonde man in glasses.  
>"Good afternoon, Mr Rose and Mr..." the doctor interrupted his speech to great the newly arrived.<br>"Bass. Charles Bass" Chuck introduced himself, shaking the doctor's hand.  
>"Nice to meet you, Mr Bass, I am Arthur Swan, Blair's doctor" he smiled politely. "And who are you to Blair? Because I believe that this particular conversation should be close family only" he said, the same polite smile on his face.<br>"He's her boyfriend, he's family and he has a right to know whatever it is" Cyrus said firmly, helping Chuck out.  
>"Fine" Mr Swan nodded. "Well, Miss Waldorf's condition remains critical. She has several very serious injuries including a bad spine one which needs immediate surgery. We were running tests to make sure the surgery was possible when we found out something you probably don't know because you didn't mention it. Apparently Miss Waldorf is 16 weeks pregnant" the doctor stated. All the three people gasped for air, Chuck was the first one two speak.<br>"Today is September 16th, right?" he asked in a barely audible whisper. The doctor nodded.  
>"Does this mean that the estimated conception date is May 16th?" he asked.<br>"Well, this may vary, but the date you named is the most probable" Mr Swan said.  
>"Oh my God..." was everything Chuck could manage. The news gave him the exact answer to why Blair had called out her engagement and wanted to see him. The Constance Alummi night they didn't use protection. The baby was his.<br>"Unfortunately the spine surgery Blair needs so much will be impossible if she is pregnant" the doctor went on. "The medications she needs will kill the fetus" he said, a sad smile on his face. "That means we have to perform an abortion first. Mrs Waldorf, I need you to sign this paper" he concluded, handing Eleanor a leaf.  
>"Are..are you sure it's impossible to keep the baby?" she chocked out.<br>"Unfortunately it is" was the doctor's response.  
>"Well, here you go then" she sighed, signing the paper.<br>"Thank you" Mr Swan nodded. "Mr Bass, may I talk to you privately, please?" he said, gesturing towards a door to a connected cabinet.  
>"Sure" Chuck muttered, still frozen with shock.<br>They entered another cabinet together and the doctor shut the door closed.  
>"Mr Bass, I wanted to discuss with you the case in which Blair survives the surgery" the doctor commenced the conversation.<br>"Is it improbable?" Chuck said in a cracked voice.  
>"Well, I'd say her chances are about 50%, which is quite a lot" he replied. "I didn't want to discuss this with her parents because they are having a hard time even without me and my medical theories"<br>"So?" Chuck invited him to continue, noticing to himself that the doctor was apparently very inattentive because he managed not to notice Chuck's complete shock and 'hard time' he himself was having. But at least the guy believed he was strong, so Chuck tried to sound calm.  
>"I am a specialist in the particular case of coma Blair is suffering from, and a recent survey showed that patients in her situation, even though they are unconscious, might hear people talking to them, especially people they cared about before their accident. They obviously cannot answer bit they still can understand. So I'd like you to try talking to her, encouraging and reassuring her. Fo you understand?" the doctor asked with a concerned look as Chuck's face was expressionless.<br>"Yes. Yes, I do" Chuck nodded. "I would do anything that might help her" he added. "Speaking of what I would do: I want you to know that I have money. Lots of money. So if there is any way I could help you personally, your staff or your hospital, don't hesitate to ask me. I would give anything and everything for the girl" he said.  
>"Thank you" the doctor smiled. "I'll keep it in mind" "Can I see her before the surgery?" Chuck asked, standing up.<br>"I'm sorry, but we need to start as soon as possible" the doctor shook his head.  
>"Okay" Chuck muttered before closing the door behind him. There was not anything left he could do for Blair, only pray and hope. Yet there still was his best friend Nate who had just lost the girl who was probably as important to him as Blair was to Chuck. That was the reason why Chuck headed towards the ward 001 again. He didn't make a mistake. There was Nate, still sitting on a bench, all alone now. Eleanor and Cyrus were gone home and so were Lily and Erick.<br>"Nathaniel?" he called out softly, taking a seat next to his friend. Nate turned his head slowly and their gazes met. His eyes were red with a frozen helpless hopeless expression.  
>"How is Blair?" he asked quietly.<br>"Not really good, she needs some special surgery, right now she has an about 50% chance" Chuck forced the words through his mouth. "But she's strong. She'll make it" he added, reassuring himself more then Nate.  
>"She will" Nate agreed softly.<br>"Shall we go home?" Chuck suggested in about a minute.  
>"Don't you want to stay here for her?" Nat asked, surprised.<br>"Well, obviously I do, but they said the surgery will take at least 9 hours and all I will be able to do for her during it is praying. Which can successfully be done at home" Chuck said. He would definitely had never left the hospital, but he knew he had to take Nate home and take care of him, as he was actually the only person Nate had left.  
>"Let's go then" Nate agreed.<hr>So, that's it for today! What do you think? I'm quite worried about the medical part, I am literally anything but a doctor. especially the 'hearing-people-in-coma' piece, but that's really important to my story and I've heard of things like this so I hope it's quite realistic. If not, well, I'm sorry!  
>Don't be shy, review!<br>Love, xoxo :* 


	3. After all

Hey, everyone! Many thanks to all those who r&r and subscribe!  
>Special hugs to:<br>**Frenchies**, I'm very glad you like the story! Why did I kill Serena? Because I hate her, haha. Not really. Because I wanted to put Chuck in a particular situation and Serena's death is something very important here. Why? Keep reading! (and reviewing :)  
><strong>LeftWriter224<strong>, thank you so much for your feedback! I'm very happy you think it's realistic and, well, I was trying to make Serena's death surprising. If you like Chuck&Cyrus, I have some good news for you: even though Cyrus is not in this chapter C&C relationship will be one if the key points of this fic. Enjoy the upcoming chapter!

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><br>Chuck was staring at his scotch, trying to get his thoughts together. It was 3.57 am and he, even though he knew sleeping would definitely do some good to him, couldn't even imagine going to bed. Chuck and Nate had gotten home at about 11 pm and since then Chuck had been sitting in the same position, right hand holding a glass of scotch, left hand running constantly through his hair. When they had gotten home Nate immediately locked in his room and Chuck had no idea what to do or how to help his best friend. He glanced at the clock. 4.05 am. Time to check on Blair. He quickly took his cellphone and dialed the hospital.  
>"Hello, New York Medical Center, my name is Alison, how can I help you?" a familiar greeted him.<br>"Alison, I'd like to check.." Chuck started to speak but was interrupted by laughing on the other end.  
>"on Blair Cornelia Waldord. Yes, just a second, Mr. Bass" the girl apparently recognized him, which wasn't a big deal since he had been calling every 10 or 15 minutes since Blair's surgery had started. He wanted to be there, as close to her as possible, more then anything, but he was too scared to leave Nate.<br>"She's alright, Mr. Bass, but I don't have any further information since the surgery isn't over yet" relief was all he could feel for several seconds.  
>"Thank you" he breathed out.<br>"Mr. Bass, if you would like to, I could write down your phone number and call yup as soon as I have any news on her" she suggested in a sympathetic voice.  
>"No, thank you" he refused immediately. "I will keep calling" he stated. The mere idea of sitting there, waiting for the nurse to call was terrifying. He managed to make through past 5 hours only because he had something to do. He called the hospital, relaxed for several minutes, then started to get nervous, braced himself to wait for several more minutes and then called the hospital again.<br>"Okay, bye then" the girl said with a smile and he hung up.

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>"Hello, New York.." Alison answered the hospital's phone for the 100th time that night. It was 5.15 am.<br>"Alison, how's Miss Waldorf?" Chuck asked anxiously, interrupting her usual greeting.  
>"Mr. Bass!" she exclaimed. "I have some good news for you. The surgery is successfully over and Miss Waldorf is already in her ward. You can come and visit her" she breathed out, sincerely happy for the mysterious Mr. Bass.<br>"Thank you just so much!" he smiled widely, happy butterflies in his stomach. He was so relieved he wasn't even conscience-stricken when he quickly got to his feet and flew out of the penthouse, leaving Nate behind.

* * *

>Chuck was standing in front of Ward 001's door, holding a bouquet of peonies, trying to prepare himself for what he was going to see. Mr. Swan had asked not to stay with her for more then an hour so he was also planning what he was going to say. He took a deep breath and pushed the door. Chuck though that seeing Blair in hospital for the second time would be easier then for the first one, but he was wrong. She looked even thinner and paler and the amount of IV needles had increased. It took Chuck several seconds to compose himself to be able to walk to her bed and take a sit.<br>"Blair" he whispered, still catching his breaths. "Good morning, beautiful" he tried to sound casual, imagining she was just half-asleep, listening to him. "In case you don't recognize, it's me, Chuck. I brought you some peonies" he said as he grabbed her hand, feeling her cold fingers. "Blair, do you remember I told you you were the most powerful woman I had ever known? I want to repeat it. You are the most strong and powerful woman I've ever known. You did a great job, handling the whole accident. I'm not sure you know what happened, so I'll probably tell you. You were in a car crash. You had just come from Monaco and Serena met you at the airport, you two were en route home when the thing happened. You were on a highway and.." his voice broke. Imagining Blair's accident was horrifying, but he thought that if she could really hear him she itched to know what had happened. He swallowed hard and continued. "So, it was a truck, entering the highway and it.. It just hit your taxi and that's it" he paused for a second. "Blair, you're amazing. Strong and beautiful. You did it so well, waiting for the ambulance, leaving the paramedics a chance to help you" he smiled lightly. "Serena, she wasn't so strong. I'm not sure whether I should tell you or not, but I think you would appreciate knowing the truth. S didn't make it till the doctors" he exhaled, his mouth suddenly dry and reached for a nearby glass of water. After a few huge sips he was able to continue talking. "The doctors, they checked on you and they promise you are gonna be fine. I believe them. I know you can make it, baby, please, make it. I.. I need you to make it, okay? Take your time to heal, baby. So, if you can hear me, I promise you you are going to be alright, you have to be alright" Chuck suddenly realized that talking to Blair didn't feel strange any more. It felt very right and he was somehow sure she could hear him, so he went on. "Blair, I haven't said the most important thing yet. I love you. I promised to always love you and I will always love you, but I thought stating it again would be a good idea. So, Blair, baby, I love you. You are the most precious thing in my world, you are my world, actually" he said seriously. "And, Blair, I know about our baby. I'm very sorry you didn't get a chance to tell me yourself, but I want you to know that if you did I.. I would be there for you, I would be just so happy, I would propose to you and we would raise our kid together. We would be happy and married, and I wouldn't screw up this time" he felt tears forming in the corners of his eyes again. "Our son.." he breathed out, remembering how Dr. Swan told him the sex of their unborn child. "Our son wasn't strong enough to make it either" he finished, tears now falling silently down his cheeks. "But I love you, and once you wake up I will propose to you, we will get married and we will have children, many children. Baby Basses, the girls will wear high heels and beautiful dresses and the boys will have bow ties and black shoes.." he was daydreaming, murmuring something about bow ties and necklaces and how he loved her, when a nurse came in.  
>"Mr. Bass, I'm very sorry, but you've been here for 80 minutes already and ..." she called him softly.<br>"Yeah, I remember, sorry" he muttered, raising to his feet, gently placing Blair's hand back on the bed. "Have a good day, beautiful. I'm so sorry I have to leave. Just take care and I'll see you tomorrow" he whispered before kissing her forehead and quitting the ward.  
>Once he was out he plopped into the nearest chair, completely exhausted, depressed and miserable. His head was spinning. The thought of their son hit him, he couldn't help but think that Blair and himself, they could have had if all. A normal family, kids, a happy life together. The though tortured him, yet he still had some hope to get it all later. Because, after all, she hadn't aborted and stayed with Louis. No, she had come back to New York to see him. She might still love him, after all. And that gave Chuck hope.<hr>so, that's it for today, hope you liked it, please, don't be shy and review! Your feedbacks are really important to me!  
>love you, xoxo :* <div> 


	4. Sleeping pills

Hello, my beautiful audience! Many thanks to everyone who reads this, especially to those who review. Knowing what you think of this is really important to me, guys!

**LeftWriter224**, thank you very much! I'm very glad you liked it, enjoy this one!

**FrozenandYetNot**, thanks for taking your time to leave a comment! I'm very glad you enjoyed the beginning, hope you like the continuation!

Guys, I tried my best to separate the paragraphs here, but I really don't understand how this thing works so I'm not completely sure I succeeded. Tell me, please!

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><p>"Shit, I'm late" was the first though in Chuck's head when he woke up the following morning. It was 9:54 am already and all his morning plans were ruined. He had planned to go and see Blair before starting his business day. The second though that came to his mind was more of a question. "Why didn't Nate wake me up?" he though, because Nate had always been an early bird and would always awaken Chuck when he overslept.<p>

Cursing everyone and everything around Chuck got up and reached for his phone. 10 missed calls from his numerous business colleagues didn't brighten his mood and a perspective of letting Nate down by skipping their breakfast was sickening. He knew he was supposed to be there for his dear Nathaniel, and he tried his best to, but Blair and Charles place had taken all his forces the day before and he, to his shame, hadn't even talked to his best friend because when he had finally gotten home Nate had been already asleep.

Chuck brushed his teeth and got dressed as fast as he could. His next very important meeting was at 12 o'clock and Chuck hoped to have his hour with Blair before that time. He quickly exited his bedroom, preparing mentally to refuse to have a pancake with Nate. To his surprise the living room was empty. He looked around and didn't see any traces of Nate's presence.

"Nathaniel?" he called out, but the penthouse stayed silent. With a heavy heart Chuck hurried to Nate's bedroom and knocked at his door. He waited for several seconds but didn't get any response, so he pushed the door and entered the room.

"Nathaniel, it's wake-up time!" he said as he realized that Nate was sleeping.  
>"Nathaniel!" he repeated as Nate didn't move.<br>"Nate, Nate, wake up!" Chuck was starting to get concerned. He approached the bed and suddenly saw an open box of sleeping pills on Nate's night table.  
>"Nate!" he cried in horror as his mind refused to imagine what Nate might have done. "Nate, man, please, you didn't...! Nate!" he shook his shoulder, trying to wake him up. Remembering first-aid lessons in school Chuck slapped Nate's face and the trick worked.<br>"Chuck, what the hell..?" Nate mumbled sleepily, blinking, opening his eyes finally.  
>"God" Chuck signed in relief as he heard Nate's voice, but than the fear and anger won over sympathy and he started yelling. "What the hell?" he repeated in a high voice. "That's me who should ask what the hell this is!" he shook the pill box in front of Nate's face. "What were you thinking?" he shouted in frustration.<br>"Chuck, calm down" Nate said tiredly. "That's not what you think.." he started but was interrupted by enraged Chuck.  
>"Oh really? Then tell me what that is!" he yelled at Nate.<br>"Open the box and see yourself" Nate suggested, realizing that arguing was pointless.  
>"Fine" Chuck spitted out and opened the box to find out that only two pills were missing. "Two pills. Oh.." he signed half-relieved, half-ashamed, understanding his mistake.<br>"I couldn't get asleep, that's it" Nate pointed out.  
>"Sorry, Nathaniel, I misunderstood" he put the box back on the table.<br>"Don't worry" Nate faked a smile. "If you don't have anything else, I'd better go back to sleep" he collapsed on his pillows.  
>"But it's 10 o'clock in the morning!" Chuck objected. "Don't you want to go have breakfast?" he suggested.<br>"Not really" Nate said, not even trying to fake a smile anymore.  
>"Fine, see you later" Chuck sighed and headed towards the door.<p>

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><p>Chuck entered the familiar ward. He looked around and though that he had to get something to decorate the room so that Blair wouldn't have to stare at the blank white walls once she was awake. He took a deep calming breath and casted a glance at the love of his life. She looked exactly like the day before. Pale and vulnerable, yet beautiful. Nothing could spoil Blair, and no matter how sick she looked she still was the most beautiful woman in the world for him. Chuck subconsciously had expected her to look a little bit better so the absence of changes disappointed him.<p>

"Good morning, beautiful" he breathed out, taking a sit on a chair by her side.  
>"How are you today, baby?" he continued, taking her right hand. "Perhaps I'm fooling myself, but your hand feels warmer today. It's good, isn't it?" he smiled slightly, rubbing her hand to make it even warmer. "You know, Blair, I've just realized that I have know idea how to solve my own problems" he confessed, looking away for a second. "I mean, I'm quite good at helping out you or Nathaniel.." he hesitated for a moment, but then went on, "...or Serena. I used to help her when you weren't available" he sighed. "Anyway, I've never even tried to handle my problems. Nate had always been there. And you" his voice broke. "Blair, you have no idea how much I owe you. Thank you" he whispered. "Thank you for never giving up on me. Thank you. I never thanked you for that night after Bart's funeral, when you saved me.." his whisper was now barely audible. "You changed me that day" he added a little bit louder, bracing himself. "I now see how dependent I am. I have no idea what to do with Nate. If I could only talk to you, you would fine a way out, I know. I acted like a tactless moron this morning. I couldn't wake him up and I found a box of sleeping pills on his night table, so I though.. Well, you know. And I was stupid enough to let him notice that. A perfect way to help him handle everything is showing him I think he might be suicidal" Chuck ran his free hand through his hair. "And I honestly don't know what to do with you" he half-smirked half-sighed. "They say talking to you might help you, but I just can't think of anything right to say. I've been here for half an hour already and the only thing I've done so far is complaining" he closed his eyes to think of something good to say. "You know, Blair, you are beautiful" he started with a small smile. "You've always been beautiful, since you were born probably. I don't know, I haven't seen you then. But I remember the first time I saw you. We were five, it was some kind of our social debut, Bart organized that "party", remember?" Chuck smiled again. "You were with Serena, of course you were. You wore a beautiful lace dress, like the one you had that night at Victorola. And you had your brown curls. The most charming hairstyle I've ever seen" he caressed her head gently with his free hand and started to play with her tender curls. "You hair is a mess, I have to say. But it's a beautiful mess. When we have children, I want the girl to be your exact copy. Your hair, your nose, your eyes, your cheeks.. But my smile. I have a handsome smile, don't I?" he chuckled. "Okay, I'm probably running out of time. I don't know why, but says I shouldn't stay here for too long. So, baby, please behave yourself. Get better while I'm gone. I need your hand even warmer when I come to see you tomorrow, okay?" he said, raising to his feet. "I love you" he stated before kissing her lips quickly.<p>

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><p>Chuck exited the ward and plopped into the same chair he had sat on the day before, closing his eyes. He felt lonely. Too lonely. Seeing Blair was very hard. It reminded him that he was all alone to fight his numerous problems, and he literally hated the fact that she didn't look better. He needed her to get better soon, he knew he wouldn't stand her like that for long.<p>

"Charles, how are you?" he heard a familiar voice and felt a hand on top of his. He opened his eyes and saw Cyrus. The man was looking at him with concur and something you could define like will to help.  
>"Could be better" Chuck said honestly, feeling like Cyrus wasn't someone he needed to fool. "How are you and Eleanor?" Chuck decided to be polite.<br>"We're holding" Cyrus smiled. "We've just seen Dr. Swan, he says she's stable now. No immediate risks. It's progress" he tried to sound reassuring, but failed.  
>"Yes, it is" Chuck agreed, the same pseudo-confidence in his voice.<br>"We need to wait now" Cyrus stated. "And if you ever feel like you would use a company while waiting, you are always very welcome" he said simply, knowing Chuck would understand.  
>"Thank you" Chuck nodded and that nod was enough to make Cyrus believe Chuck would really come at some point.<p>

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><p>Well, that's all I have for you today. Hope you enjoyed it, pleasepleaseplease leave a feedack! I'll try to update soon, but if I fail then I want you to know: I take this story seriously and, because it speaks of quite "hard" emotions, I need some special mood to write this.<p>

Love you all,  
>xoxo :*<p> 


	5. Sunshine

Hello, people!

Thanks for stopping by to read this!  
>And many many thanks for my fantastic reviewer, <strong>LeftWriter224<strong>. Thank you so much, it really makes my day when I receive your feedback! Yeah, I'm kinda Cyrus' fan in this story, and since Blair is totally out, he's gonna be the Chuck-saver this time) Well, Chuck and Nate obviously need to talk, but not yet. That'll come a bit later. Enjoy the upcoming piece!

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><p>That morning Chuck woke up with an especially heavy feeling. He opened his eyes slowly, wishing he could sleep for a couple of hours more, but he knew he couldn't. The day was Serena's funeral. He looked through the window. The weather matched his mood perfectly - the sky was deep dark gray and it was raining. Chuck didn't even feel the tiny bit of disappointment that usually comes with such weather. He somehow knew that that day couldn't be sunny. Serena had always been their sun, their own piece of sunshine no matter how dark it had been outside. Now all the sunshine was gone.<p>

Trying to brace himself he went to the bathroom to brush his teeth. Not really to his surprise, it didn't help. Sighing heavily, he took his clothes and got dressed quickly. He could honestly say that he detested the outfit. The black suite and shirt and tie. He had already worn it once and had hoped with his whole heart to never wear it again. Yet there he was, fixing the black tie in front of a huge mirror, noticing by the way how bad he looked. There were deep purple shadows under his slightly reddened eyes, numerous shaving cuts were visible on his cheeks and he even seemed to be several pounds thinner that usually. Making a mental notice to have a good dinner he went to the living room.  
>The first two things Chuck noticed when he opened the door to the living room were Nate and scotch. Nate was quite hard to miss - he was sitting in the chair, already dressed up, an absent look all over his face.<p>

"'Morning, Nate" called out Chuck.  
>"'Morning, Chuck" answered Nate, looking up at Chuck, and by the grateful look in Nate's eyes Chuck knew that he had gotten the message. Chuck would only call Nate "Nate" instead of "Nathaniel" when he wanted to support him, to let in some feelings instead of cold mocking. So the "'morning"s that day meant quite a lot.<br>"Fancy some?" asked Chuck, pouring some scotch into his glass.  
>"Thanks" Nate shook his head. "How's Blair?" he tried to fill in silence.<br>"Better" lied Chuck instantly, not willing to make the atmosphere more tense than it already was. He took a huge sip of his scotch, enjoying the burning feeling down his throat. It seemed to numb the pain somehow.  
>"Good" nodded Nate, looking away. "Shall we go?" he asked in several seconds, standing up.<br>"Let's go" agreed Chuck, finishing his whisky.

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><p>Chuck looked around the church, merely listening to the service. The words didn't matter. The only thing that did was a long human-sized black box a few feet away from him. A grob. Chuck, as a family member, was sitting in the front row, on his left was Serena's dad, Mr. Vanderwoodsen. Next to him there were Lily and Rufus, Cece and Erick, Nate was sitting on Chuck's immediate right. The church was full of people, many of them were complete strangers from Chuck point of view, but he assumed that Lily knew better.<p>

The service went on for something that felt like a year, an when it was over they were invited to "say goodbye" to Serena. He raised to his feet slowly, and suddenly realized that he was the first one to come to the grob. He approached it and casted a quick glance at Serena's dead body. For a second that contained an eternity, Chuck stared at her, at her closed forever eyes, at the blank and expressionless mask instead of her beautiful face, at her half open mouth, which looked slightly surprised. And then, without warning, it swept over him, the dreadful truth, more completely and undeniably than it had until now. Serena was dead, gone… he clutched his fists so tightly that it hurt, but he could not prevent hot tears spilling from his eyes: he looked away from Nate and the others and stared out over the church hall and through a huge window at the still very gray sky. Not fully aware of his actions, he started descending form the pomost, hurrying to get away.

"Charles" a soft voice called him and somebody put his arms around Chuck. He had no memory of ever being hugged like this, as though by a father. Bart would never hug him, especially not like that. The full weight of everything that had happened seemed to fall off his shoulders with the tears as Cyrus Rose held Chuck silently.

* * *

><p>"Hey there, baby" Chuck entered the ward without minute's hesitation. He was eager to see Blair, partly because had told him she was probably getting better, partly because he felt guilty for abandoning her in the morning, partly because he just wanted to see her. There she was, on the huge bed. She looked tiny on it, half a meter of free space both on her left and right.<p>

"Hello, beautiful" he repeated, sitting down. "You are getting better, aren't you? Good girl" he smiled, stroking her arm."I know it's hard, but you'll manage it, right? Blair Waldorf, the visible personification of absolute perfection" his voice sounded confident. He felt confident know, noticing that her hand was a grade warmer again.

"Today, well, wasn't my day really. We've been saying goodbye to Serena" Chuck's voice broke at her name, all his confidence and cheerfulness gone. "The last thing I expected is seeing her there" he managed in a whisper. "She'd always been so..lively, so full of energy, so.." he couldn't keep talking anymore. "Anyway, I brought her some flowers from the both of us. I though you would like her to have a bouquet from you" he said quietly. "I made it in yellow, I though it was right. Yellow is like sun, like Serena.." he felt a familiar burning down his throat. He took a deep, steadying breath, closing his eyes for a fraction of second.

"And guess what happened next?" he changed the subject quickly, realizing he couldn't stand talking about Serena's funeral any more. "I dined at your Mom's, Cyrus invited me" he half smiled. "It was nice" he admitted. "Warm and homely, like the good old times when you and I would dine together with Eleanor and Cyrus" he sighed. "And yeah, I wanted to tell you, your Mom's doing well, she's really holding up. If you can hear me than you obviously know that she's here all the time too, it's not like she doesn't care, I just wanted you to know that she's as fine as one could be in the given circumstances" finished Chuck.

"I'm doing alright too. I know I've been complaining a lot for the past few days, but I'm fine. I don't want you to worry about me. My business is going really well. Charles Place's opening was a huge success. It's been two weeks since than and I still get two or three congratulating letters a day. I had a meeting with the investors yesterday after I left you, and we discussed the possibility of expanding the business and, well, there might appear several more Chuck Bass' hotels in NY by Christmas" Chuck sounded proud of himself now. "Blair, I owe this all to you. To your belief in me. Thank you. Thank you, baby" he whispered, kissing her cheeks and forehead tenderly, finishing with a quick kiss on her lips.

"I must be going now" he said, raising to his feet. "You know I love you. More than anything. Get better, please. See you tomorrow, baby" he smiled. He felt much more at ease now, knowing that Blair was doing fine.

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><p>That's it for today, I hope you liked it and will leave a review, because when I don't receive feed-backs I can't be sure that you read it and I can't make it any better if you don't like it!<p>

See you later)

xoxo :*


	6. Fever

Hello, beautiful people who read this story!

Now, I know that I haven't updated this in _ages _and I'm very sorry. My school's just started and I've been extremely busy lately. But it's getting better now, so I'll be posting more often again!

Many many thanks to the amazing people who reviewed the last chapter!  
><strong>bfan, <strong>I'm really happy you like it, thanks for reviewing! Let me know what you think of this one!  
><strong>LeftWriter224<strong>, thank you so much for your continuous support! I'm super-happy you're enjoying it!  
><strong>LittlePunkSasuke, <strong>thank you very much for taking your time to review!

Enjoy this piece and leave a feedback!

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><p>Chuck had been standing in front of Nate's room's door for at least five minutes already. He knew Nate was in desperate need of comfort, remembering how he himself felt the night of Bart's funeral. He understood very clearly that being alone wasn't the best option for Nate at that point and he felt horrible for having no idea how to help his best friend. Chuck Bass had always been the trouble maker, not solver. Deciding all his thinking was just a waste of time Chuck raised his fist and knocked at the door lightly.<p>

"'S open" a grunted voice answered and Chuck pushed the door. Nate was sitting on his bed, staring at one point on the opposite wall, not bothering to look up at Chuck.  
>"Nathaniel" called him Chuck softly, trying to get his attention.<br>"Whatever it is, just spit it out and go" Nate replied indifferently, his eyes still on the wall.  
>"You need to talk, man" signed Chuck heavily, moving forwards and blocking Nate's spot on the wall. Nate's eyes flickered and his gaze moved slightly to the left.<br>"Fine. How are you?" answered Nate in an emotionless voice.  
>"I've been to Blair. She's doing better, by the way" replied Chuck with a small smile. "I've talked to the doctors and they said that even though it's a bit too early for those kind of statements, they hope to have her conscious again quite soon. I mean, they say that she isn't in a life-threatening condition any more.." Chuck's smile faded away as Nate responded.<br>"Perfect" he snapped with a note of annoyance in his voice. "Anything else?"  
>"As a matter of fact, yes. How are you?" he asked, deciding to push.<br>"Chuck, leave me alone, please"' Nate kept looking away from his best friend.  
>"You can't keep it all down, Nate, really. Believe me" tried Chuck. "It'll get easier eventually, but only if you let it out.." he kept talking as Nate didn't respond.<br>"Chuck, please, go away" interrupted Nate, looking up at his friend wearily.  
>"You need help, Nathaniel. And I'm here for you" Chuck stated firmly, meeting Nate's gaze finally. The dark emptiness of Nate's usually bright and happy eyes shocked him, yet he braced himself and didn't break the eye contact.<br>"And I don't need your help" Nate sounded just as firm as Chuck. "I have something better" he reached for a glass of whisky that was standing on his bedside table.  
>"No way" Chuck caught his hand. "That's not you, Nate, please" he tried his best to hide the panic he felt, but apparently he failed.<br>"Frightened, are you?" Nate suddenly started laughing in a strange, cracked way. "Don't worry, baby" their gazes met again all Chuck could see in his best friend's eyes was desperation.  
>"Nate..!" Chuck wasn't given a chance to continue.<br>"Don't worry, it'll soon be over, you won't have to babysit me much longer" Nate started laughing again.  
>"Nate, don't..! She wouldn't want you to.." Chuck knew he had made a mistake the second the words were out.<br>"Don't you dare mentioning her!" Now there was something else in Nate's eyes. Anger. "You have no damn idea!" he yelled, raising to his feet instantly. "You've never noticed her. You've always preferred Blair" he spitted out.  
>Chuck remained silent, visibly taken aback by Nate's last statement.<br>"And even now, the day we_ buried_ Serena, you go smiling around because Blair is getting better!" Nate kept yelling, pacing around the room as Chuck stood frozen and speechless.  
>"Nate, I get it you're upset but would you.." Chuck's temper started raising too. He knew Nate wasn't aware of what he was saying, yet the way he mentioned Blair disturbed Chuck.<br>"No, you don't, Chuck! Imagine your Blair is dead. White, motionless and dead. What would you feel? I nearly want her to die so that you stop acting as if you understand me!" Nate blurted out furiously.  
>"Are. You. Crazy?" Chuck chocked out, paralyzed by Nate's words.<br>"No, I'm not! I meant it" Nate hit harder, burning bridges completely.  
>"Than stay the hell away from Blair. And me!" Chuck spitted out before storming off and slamming the door angrily behind himself.<p>

As Chuck ran his hand through his hear he noticed that it was shanking violently. He couldn't believe what had just happened. Couldn't believe that Nate, his Nate, had said those words. They hurt so badly he had a strong desire to go and fight with Nate. Punch him, hit him, hurt him. Physically. Yet, at the same time, Chuck felt horrible for Nate. He knew him and knew that in the right state of mind Nate would have never said such a thing. The way he had acted meant that he was completely out of control. And now there was literally no one to help him out. Chuck himself was definitely not returning to the room and apart from him there wasn't anyone else who would bother enough to come up.

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><p>The following morning Chuck was awakened by a phone call. He groaned as he heard his phone ringing, and, fighting off the though of just ignoring it, reached for the cell. The Caller ID made his stomach knot instantly. "New York Medical Center" it said.<br>"Hello?" he asked anxiously, trying not to think of the horrible scenarios he knew.  
>"Good morning, Mr Bass, my name is Carol, I work at the New York Medical Center. You've asked to provide you with any news on Miss Waldorf's condition instantly.." said the nurse.<br>"Yes, so..?" he hated her slow approach, it made him think something was very wrong.  
>"She's apparently having a mild case of postoperative fever, she's being examined now and the diagnosis will be probably set soon" stated Carol.<br>"Can it be serious?" chocked out Chuck, feeling his insides turn upside down.  
>"Yes" was the nurse's monosyllable response.<br>"Thanks for calling, I'm coming to the hospital" he managed before hanging up.

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><p>Twenty minutes later he was already in the hospital, talking to the doctor.<br>"Postoperative fevers appear in 40 to 50 percent of such conditions as Miss Waldorf's and it's highly possible that this one isn't dangerous, yet we have to be careful just in case. We're running several tests right now and I hope we will be able to set the diagnosis in a couple of hours. Someone from the reception will call you then" said Dr. Swan seriously, slightly smiling at the very concerned young man in front of him.  
>"Thank you" nodded Chuck. "Can I see her?" he asked nervously.<br>"I'm sorry, but I don't think so. The cause of the fever might be an infection and visitors are not allowed to the infectious patients" the doctor smiled sadly, actually sorry to disappoint Chuck. "I'm sorry" he repeated.  
>"That's all right, thanks" he nodded again, and started to walk away.<br>"Mr. Bass, wait! You can see her, through the glass door. You're just not allowed to walk in. I'll ask the nurse to open the curtain" cried Dr. Swan, stopping Chuck halfway through the hall way.  
>"Thank you" said Chuck for the third time, managing a grateful smile.<p>

* * *

><p>With his heart pounding, Chuck glanced through the glass door. Even though he knew she would look worse than she did the day before, the reality shocked him. There she was, his poor little girl, now completely covered with IV needles, an oxygen mask pressed against her face again. He hated it, how her delicate appearence was violated not only by awful accident scars, scratches and wounds but also by all the medical equipement pluggend in her. The fact that she was having what had called a 'postoperative fever' was quite obvious to Chuck - her cheeks had an unhealthy, intense blush and he could even notice drops of sweat on her forehead. He suddenly realized it was the first time he saw her ill. Queen B would never let anyone apart from Serena see her not perfectly dressed and without any make-up done (Serena's name made a painful twist in his head before he forced himself to think about Blair again).<br>"Baby, get better please, please, please, please..." he pleaded in whisper, pressing his forehead against the cold glass.

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><p>So, that's it for today! How do you feel about it? Tell me!<p>

I'll really try to update soon!

xoxo :*


	7. Sunday

Hello, world!  
>So, I kinda kept my promise, yay! I'm updating in a week :)<br>Manymanymany thanks and hugs and kisses to my amazing reviewers:  
><strong>Chairfanforever<strong>, thank you so much for taking your time to review! I'm very happy you like it and well, it would be strange if you actually enjoyed Serena's death, haha :) but that's kind of a point of my story, so, well, enjoy the following chap and you'll know a bit more about where I'm leading this!  
><strong>LeftWrighter224<strong>, thank you so much for always reviewing the updates! Yeah, that's right about Chuck and Nate (I wanted to wright something like "Nuck" or "Chate" at first, but than I realized it would bring to much of slash fantasies, so I'll stick to "Chuck and Nate") so this chapter definitely finds a person for Nate to talk to.  
><strong>Bfan<strong>, thank you sooo much for reviewing! Enjoy the upcoming chapter!  
><strong>Socialitegirl<strong>, thank you very much indeed for reviewing! Enjoy the update!

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>"<br>"Mr. Bass, Mr. Bass!" Juliette, his secretary, shook Chuck's shoulder gently in order to wake him up. "I'm sorry, but Mr. Newman is here to see you, shall I ask him to wait?"  
>"Newman?" repeated Chuck, rubbing his eyes frantically. "Has he gone crazy? What time is it?" he tried to readjust himself on the couch so that his back wouldn't ache so much.<br>"It's 9 am, , you never left your office yesterday" the secretary explained, eyeing her boss with concern. "  
>Well, just bring me a cup of coffee and ask him in in 15 minutes, would you, Juliette?" he struggled to sit up, his back, arms and neck all completely numb after a whole night of very uncomfortable sleeping.<br>"Yes, " she nodded and made her way out.  
>Chuck started massaging his neck slowly, trying to get his thought together. It was 9 o'clock into that Sunday morning and it already promised to be a horrible, agonizing day. Chuck knew that was the only businessman in New York willing to work on Sundays and, despite all Chuck's arrangements, he wouldn't be able to occupy himself with work for more that a couple of hours. After all his work done, he would probably go to the hospital. Chuck reached for his Blackberry and quickly dialed the hospital's number which he had learned by heart by that day.<br>"Good morning, New York Medical Center, my name's Courtney. How can I help you?" he heard the usual greeting, slightly amused by the fact that nurses always said exactly the same text.  
>"Hello, I'm Chuck Bass and I'd like to check on Miss Waldorf's condition" he blurted out, sensing the familiar knot tightening in his stomach.<br>"Just a second, " the nurse mumbled, apparently looking through her papers. "Oh yes, Blair Cornelia Waldorf..." she mused slowly, making the uneasy feeling in Chuck's chest increase. "Well, her diagnosis was set just a couple of hours ago, she is suffering from a light case of surgical side infection. She's being taken care of and I can assure you there is nothing to be worried about, but, unfortunately, you are not allowed to see her today.." said Courtney in the 'I-am-a-well-trained-memeber-of-staff' tone.  
>"Thank you" breathed out Chuck, feeling relief washing over him.<br>"Is there anything else I could do for you?" the nurse asked in a couple of seconds.  
>"No, thank you, bye", hung up Chuck.<br>He closed his eyes, enjoying the pure relief for a second. Blair was safe, whatever it was that resulted in the fever wasn't dangerous. It was the best feeling in the world, knowing that his little girl was safe, at least for the said moment.  
>But then Chuck realized that he had literally nothing to do after he had finished his business. If he hadn't fought with Nate he would probably spend the day trying to get his best friend out and make him relax, but that wasn't an option any more. Chuck reached for his Blackberry again and started looking through his contacts, trying to think of someone to meet. He had scrolled through the most "A" contacts when he saw her name on the screen. "Anne Archibald". Not the Mother of the Year, exactly, yet Nate's mother. Chuck even wondered why he hadn't thought of calling her right away.<br>"Mrs. Archibald, could we please meet up for lunch, I have something to talk about. Chuck" he typed quickly, knowing he had only minutes left before he would have to meet the workaholic .

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>"Charles, good afternoon, what a pleasure to see you!" Anne exclaimed as she saw Chuck waiting for her in the Palace's restaurant.<br>", good to see you" he faked a smile, leading her to their table.  
>"I assume your business is working well, judging by the look of the place" she smiled back as they sat down.<br>"Oh yes, thank you, Bass Industries is at the top as always" he now smiled sincerely, really fond of his business.  
>"So, is that 'something' you wanted to discuss related to this place?" she asked curiously, already imagining how her fellow society lionesses would turn green with jealousy at the news of her being somehow involved with the Bass business.<br>"No, it is more personal. Actually, I'm worried about Nath..Nate" said Chuck, staring at the glass of scotch waiter had brought him. As he got no response he looked up at Anne. Her disappointment was so visible that Chuck even regretted for a second that he had called her.  
>"Well, and why so?" she asked finally, letting concern appear on her polite mask of a face.<br>"You know... Since everything's happened, I mean with Serena" he started slowly, swallowing hard at the girl's name. "He isn't taking it all...too well" he looked for words carefully, afraid of either offending her motherly instincts or making the whole mess look better than it felt. "I think.. He needs some kind of support right now, and I don't think I'm the man, really" he quickly dismissed the though of telling Mrs. Archibald about his fight with Nate.  
>"Right.. I.. I'll figure something out, thank you for telling me" Anne nodded, proceeding the though. She had been so absorbed in the social meaning of the event that she hadn't even thought about her very son, which obviously made her feel guilty now. "Thank you" she nodded again.<hr>The lunch was finally over and, even though talking to Anne, whom he hadn't talked to in years really, was quite an awkward experience for Chuck, Chuck wasn't happy at all to say 'good bye' to . One of the main problems on his mind - Nate - was, as he hoped, partly solved, but that left Chuck with nothing to do once again. Being alone was definitely not an option for him.  
>Suddenly, he realized that there were two more people who were obviously having a hard time and whom he hadn't seen since Serena's funeral - Lily and Eric. Without further thinking he dialed Lily and, as her voice sounded still hoarse and cracked, but pleasantly surprised, they agreed he would come up to the VanderHumprey's.<hr>"Lily, hello, nice to see you" Chuck was smiling twenty minutes later as he was put in a tight hug by Lily.  
>"Charles, I'm so glad you came" Lily moved back and Chuck noticed a spark of both relieve and even happiness in her sad red-and-puffy eyes.<br>"I though you might use some help while I, honestly, might use some company" he chuckled, entering the living room on Lily's heels.  
>"Mr. Humphrey" he nodded lightly, "Eric, good to see you" he cracked his little step-brother, who was curled up on the sofa in front of TV, a smile.<br>"We were just going to watch a movie, come and sit here, Chuck!" invited him Eric, making some place on the sofa.

* * *

>Eric, Rufus, Lily and Chuck had spent an extraordinary good for the given circumstances day like a proper family together. By the end of the day the had watch two films, had a walk in the Central Park, dined together and helped Lily to fight off an awful press attack.<br>"Chuck, you know what, you don't have to go home. Stay with us for a night!" suggested Eric as he saw a hint of unwillingness in Chuck's face when he was announcing that it was time for him to go.  
>"Yes, Charles, stay for a sleepover!" agreed Lily instantly. "You can have your very old indeed room" she winked at him slightly, remembering how they all (apart from Rufus, obviously) had once lived under one roof.<br>"Thank you, with pleasure" agreed Chuck, very much relieved he didn't have to spend another night in the awful couch in his office.

* * *

>As he was drifting off in a proper bed in his old room later that night a though formed in his mind. He finally admitted to himself that Lily wasn't that old bitch he though she was and the idea of being her family was more attractive than anything. A family was something too important in one's life to live without it and so he had made two decisions. First, Chuck decided he would never ever abandon Lily and Eric once more. The three of then had become more of a family in four years than Bart and himself had managed in sixteen. And second, he though, he would have a proper family with Blair and he would never leave her, because their children deserved to get to know what a family was at one, not at twenty one. These thoughts had been wondering around his head for quite a kong time, but that night they very completely finished and formed.<hr>So, that's it for today! What do you think? Don't be shy, tell me 


	8. Memories and tears

SOH8 Hello, my amazing readers!  
>I know I've been a horrible updater lately and I'm sorry, but that's my teachers whom you should really blame :)<br>I'm sorry to say so, but I'm really disappointed with the number of reviews. One. I mean, come on, did the last chapter really suck that much? Because if it didn't, than I would be very very grateful if you left a feedback. They usually are very motivating and spirits-lifting!  
>Many many many thanks to my constant reviewer, <strong>LeftWrighter224<strong>, you are amazing, thank you so much for your support! I'm very glad you enjoyed the last chapter, enjoy this one as well!

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>"Cyrus, Eleaonor, good morning" smiled Chuck softly as he entered the Waldorf's place the following morning.<br>"Charles, what a pleasant surprise" exclaimed Eleanor as Chuck's appearance really was a surprise for her.  
>"I'm sorry to intrude on you" said Chuck quickly, seeing the sarcasm in her words.<br>"Oh, no, no, no that is a pleasant surprise!" smiled Cyrus, pulling Chuck into a hug.  
>"Well, I'm going see to Blair later today, as we're finally allowed to, and I just wanted to ask you for something from her room to decorate the ward a little bit. I don't think she'll like the plain walls once she's awake" he explained, swallowing a hard lump that formed in his throat at the her name. As pathetic as it was he couldn't even mention her without that horrible stomach-clenching feeling.<br>"Oh, that's kind of sweet of you, Charles" Eleanor smiled approvingly. "Take anything that you feel would go" she added, knowing it wasn't necessary to show him the way.  
>"Thank you" he nodded, quickly climbing up the familiar steps. He could already feel memories filling his mind. He had rushed up that staircase a million times before. Back when they were children, when Blair was just his best friend's girlfriend, they would play all over the Waldor's penthouse. The said staircase was much of a pain when they played tag, but it still held it's mysterious fascination. Than, as the Victorola night changed everything, he had to build up his stamina to be able to carry her up the stairs in the drop-dead-romantic way. The staircase had always been something nice to him. Something leading to pleasure. But that day he knew he wasn't about to do anything enjoyable. Yet he wanted to do it for Blair, so he kept climbing up.<hr>At last, the enormous staircase was over, and so was the hallway. He inhaled sharply and flung her bedroom's door open. He looked around and suddenly it hit him harder that he had ever expected it to. He knew being in her room was bound to be hard, but not that hard. He felt his knees trembling weakly and the next thing he knew was that he had slid all the way down the wall as his legs refused to support his weight.  
>"Blair, I need you to be okay.." he whispered hoarsely, shaking his head slowly in an attempt to banish the memories from his head. But he couldn't. The room was filled with Blair. Her sweet scent, her jewelry, her bedside table with one of her favorite books, her perfectly organized table and lots of framed pictures. All of a sudden he realized that they had been broken up for a very long time but she never took away pictures with him. He assumed that she would get rid of their pictures together just the way she did with Nate's photos when her fairytale with him had failed, yet there they were, two from their childhood, where the fact that they got photographed together was merely a coincidence, two set up pictures from the times when they were the official King and Queen of Manhattan and two pictures taken by Serena, both causing his heart sink by their happiness and sincerity. There also was a picture of Blair and Serena together in Paris, one of the whole NJBC at the Vanderbuilts' when they were something like nine and one of Blair and her Daddy. And not a single one of Louis, the Prince.<br>Chuck felt his breathing slowly even out, the shock of being in her room fading away. It was probably the fact that she had kept their pictures that lit up his spirits. He stood up cautiously, making sure his legs obeyed him again and reached for the pictures. He knew that having them in the ward was a good idea. It was then when his Blackberry buzzed. He quickly tookonies it and glanced at the screen, his eyes widening at the caller's ID. It was Nate calling him. He hesitated for a second and then pressed the 'ignore' button. He didn't want to have another fight with Nate and he still didn't feel like forgiving his horrible words. "If he calls again, I'll come up to the penthouse and meet him" he though, staring at the screen until it quickly went dark, then he slipped the phone back into his pocket.

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>Chuck entered the ward with a bunch of fresh peonies and the box from Blair's room in his hands. He looked around, examining the white walls and ceiling, then looked through the window and finally stared at his perfectly polished shoes for several seconds. Only then, as he couldn't delay any longer, he looked up at his girl.<br>"Hey, beautiful" he smiled softly. "You really are better, aren't you?" his smile widened as he looked all over her. The changes in her appearance would be obvious even to a complete stranger, let alone Chuck Bass. There still was a plenty of monitors around her, but only two IV needles were attached to her arm. There were no more bleeding open cuts on her face and even some of the bruises seemed to fade away. Her cheeks were now a soft shade of pink, her chest going up and down easily, the beeping around her constant and stable. Beep, beep, beep - her heart was beating rhythmically and reassuringly."You know, the doctor told me you were better and now I can see it myself" he stated, coming closer and leaning to kiss her forehead quickly before sitting down next to her.  
>"I have something for you today" he announced, placing the peonies in a vase on her bedside table and opening the box. "I though you might want something other than these sterile plain white things around you. So, here we go. Number one, Harold's Teddy bear he gave you for your third birthday" he gently placed the toy next to the vase. "Then, here's your pin. I've been dreaming to have it back for more than a year now" he murmured, playing with the golden pin. "But I think you need your heart yourself right now, don't you?" his smiled changed into quite a sad one as place the pin on the table too. "And finally, here are the pictures" he announced taking out of the box the nine framed photos, placing four of them next to the vase, pin and bear and walking over to the windowsill to put the rest of pictures down there.<br>"So, baby, I hope you like it once you're awake" he concluded, sitting back and taking her hand in his. "I think I haven't mentioned it today, Blair. I love you. You do understand that, right? That no matter what happens, I'll always be right here. I want you to know, with everything I won't let this go this time unless you truly want me to. Let's not play our games for once. I'm showing my cards - I love you and I want to be with you. Forever" he said seriously, hoping very much she could hear him. "Just please get better, baby.." he whispered, looking at her hand for several seconds before looking up at her face again. And then there it was, all of a sudden, a tear running down her check silently.

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>So, yeah, guys! I know it's super-mean, but that's where you have to wait for something like a week to know what's going to happen next! Meanwhile, leave a feedback! <div> 


	9. Never give up

Hey there, guys!  
>I know it's been like 5 month and I guess virtually nobody is interested in this story right now, but I like it very much so I couldn't leave it unfinished. I had a major, really bad writer's block - I just couldn't write this, or anything, for the matter. But my yesterday's little oneshot broke the spell, so enjoy this last piece of the story!<p>

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><p><em>And then there it was, all of a sudden, a tear running down her check silently. <em>

"Blair.." chocked out Chuck, watching the tear as it ran down slowly.  
>"Blair! What... Are you awake? Can you hear me? Blair!" he whispered hoarsely as her dry lips visibly struggled to move.<br>"Blair.. Shhh, don't talk if it's hard, here" he said, taking her hand in his. His heart literally stopped to start beating frantically again as he felt a slight, barely distinguishable squeeze.  
>"Blair.. I must be going crazy.." he muttered under his breath. "Shhh, why are you crying? What's wrong?" he wondered as more tears spilled from her closed eyes.<br>"Chuck", she managed finally. Her husky voice was just above whisper yet he could very much hear it, the sound that made him feel okay, feel whole, feel alive.  
>"Shh, beautiful, I'm here. I'm right here, don't talk, let me call the doctor. We should really call the doctor!" He reached the needed button and hit it. "Shh, it's okay, beautiful. It's okay. It hurts, right? But don't worry, they'll be here in a matter of seconds and they'll give you something, like Tylenol or whatever.." he talked to her soothingly, rubbing circles into her hand.<br>"Dr. Swan, finally!" he snapped as a figure in a white gown appeared at the ward's doorstep. "Take a look at her, doctor, please, I she's awake, but.."  
>"It's okay, Mr. Bass, I can see" the doctor cut him off. "Yeah, she must be awake.." he mused thoughtfully, looking through her papers. "Her heart rate and BP are fine, so we can just wait for her to wake up fully.."<br>"But isn't she in pain? I mean, don't you..? Painkillers, or something?" pressed Chuck, irritated by the doctor's lack of interest.  
>"I'm sure her dozes are fine. I'll come check on you in about half an hour, alright?" and with that the doctor was gone.<br>"Chuck", repeated Blair softly and then she opened her beautiful dark eyes. That was it for him - the moment of pure happiness. It topped everything that had happened in his whole life, seeing his girl alright, seeing her huge doe eyes and a small smile lingering on her lips.  
>"Blair, I.." he was at loss for words. "How are you?" he managed finally.<br>"I'm okay", she promised, her voice still cracked, yet confident. "I heard every word of what you said", she said after a small pause and his heart sank - what if she didn't want his hearty confessions, what if she didn't love him, what if... The sound of her angelic voice interrupted his racing mind.  
>"If it weren't for you, I would have given up", she said softly. "When you told me about S, and our baby, and.." several more years slipped down her cheeks. "Sometimes it was just too hard to breathe. But I knew I could not possibly give up, could not leave you here because.. I love you too", she breathed out and closed her eyes, exhausted.<br>"I love you, Blair", he whispered, kissing her forehead tenderly. "Get some rest, you need it. You'll wake up and I'll be right here", he promised. "Always".

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><p>Chuck Bass kept his promise. It wasn't easy, not at all. Those first few month were a nightmare for the both of them. Dealing with the loss of their unborn child. Dealing with Serena's death. His fights with Nate got only worse and worse. Sometimes he thought he couldn't take it anymore, but he never gave up just as she never did. Because in the face of true love you don't just give up.<br>That is why 2 years, 7 month and 3 days later he ended up in that same old hospital again with his best friend, Nathaniel Archibald right at his side, to support Blair Bass as she gave birth to William Bartholomew Bass, their first son.

**fin.**

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><p>I really hope you enjoyed it and, well, leave a review!<p> 


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